Today’s Headlines: COVID-19 shots at the ready for 28 million kids ages 5 to 11

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Shots ready for 28 million young children

Children ages 5 to 11 years old will soon be able to get a COVID-19 shot at their pediatrician’s office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school, the White House said as it detailed plans for the expected authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for younger children in a matter of weeks.

The country now has ample supplies of the Pfizer shot to vaccinate the roughly 28 million kids who should soon be eligible, officials said.

More coronavirus news

— U.S. regulators signed off on extending COVID-19 boosters to Americans who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine and said anyone eligible for an extra dose could get a brand different from the one they received initially.

— Coronavirus cases led to the shutdown of View Park Preparatory High School. It was the first closure of an L.A. County campus this fall, a situation that also led to the quarantine of the Crenshaw High football team.

— Studies have confirmed the COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness in teens, even against the Delta variant.

For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times’ Health and Science newsletter.

Senate GOP blocks voting rights bill

Congressional Democrats’ hopes to expand voting rights died as Senate Republicans blocked voting on a bill that would have established election day as a public holiday and created minimum standards for nationwide voting access.

The failure is sure to intensify pressure from progressives on their party leaders to eliminate the filibuster.

For more news and analysis, sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter, sent to your inbox three days a week.

Violent hate crimes against Asian Americans increase in L.A. County

Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 76{a78e43caf781a4748142ac77894e52b42fd2247cba0219deedaee5032d61bfc9} in Los Angeles County last year as physical and verbal attacks on Asian Americans rose during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than three-quarters of those crimes involved physical violence.

Mark Ridley-Thomas faces suspension and investigation

The Los Angeles City Council voted to suspend Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas one week after the veteran L.A. politician was indicted on federal charges, including bribery and other counts. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is hiring an outside law firm to investigate contracts central to the corruption charges.

Protests at Netflix

Transgender Netflix employees and their allies gathered on Vine Street in Los Angeles to protest the streaming giant’s decision to release Dave Chappelle’s controversial new comedy special, which features transphobic remarks and other insensitive commentary by the comedian.

The walkout follows weeks of backlash, protests within Netflix, suspensions and defensive statements from the company. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has admitted to mishandling the fallout from “The Closer,” but maintains the special didn’t qualify as hate speech.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

(Frank Q. Brown / Los Angeles TImes)

Fifty-four years ago this week, demonstrators staged a sit-down protest in front of a police van at the Army Induction Center in Oakland. Days later, on Oct. 21, 1967, tens of thousands of people took part in the March on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. Some forced their way into the Pentagon, were repelled, and a riot erupted.

CALIFORNIA

— The Department of Veterans Affairs aims to place more than 500 unhoused veterans living in Los Angeles by the end of the year. That includes 40 from Veterans Row, the high-profile encampment adjacent to the VA campus in West L.A.

— Using a new law, the L.A. City Council banned homeless encampments at 54 spots. The council also asked that resources for outreach to homeless people in these locations be expanded.

— A fan of the jam band Phish plunged to his death, and two other concertgoers were injured in a separate fall at the Chase Center in San Francisco over the weekend.

— In the wake of this month’s oil spill, the Huntington Beach City Council voted to support a ban on new offshore oil drilling and similar activities off the coast of California.

— After an initial treatment failed, the noxious smell in Carson was expected to linger into the weekend.

NATION-WORLD

— A federal appeals court decided 2-1 to overturn a nationwide order requiring federal immigration authorities to monitor and possibly release immigrant detainees at high risk of dying or suffering long-term complications from COVID-19.

— The Desert Moon is “the last stop for many,” says the motel’s manager. For tens of thousands of Americans nationwide, the pandemic, slow economic recovery and expiration of eviction moratoriums mean a hotel stay, or the streets.

— Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to murder in the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead. A penalty trial will determine if Cruz will receive a sentence of death or life in prison without parole.

— The world needs to cut its production of coal, oil and gas by more than half in the coming decade, according to a United Nations-backed study. Despite climate pledges, countries are upping fossil fuel production plans.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— The board of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the organization behind the Golden Globes, expelled one of its longtime members for alleged “misconduct.” Magnus Sundholm was part of a reform-minded faction within the HFPA.

— “Eternals” has the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Deaf superhero. Her Deafness is one of her superpowers.

— Eve was living large in the ’90s and throughout the early 2000s. She’s found her perfect match as she returns to TV with ABC’s “Queens.”

— If you had only five minutes and four seconds to show someone what the 1980s were like, all you’d have to do is cue up Duran Duran’s “Rio” music video. Decades later, it’s still very, very good to be Duran Duran.

BUSINESS

— A San Francisco In-N-Out was temporarily closed recently after failing to screen customers on their COVID-19 inoculation status. As California cities move to require proof of shots, will In-N-Out prove a harbinger for a larger pushback from businesses?

— An El Segundo semiconductor company took its stock public in a billion-dollar deal amid a global chip shortage. The valuation of Navitas, which has revenue of only $12 million and no profits yet, reflects tremendous growth expectations.

— Southern California home prices set another record last month, but the market is cooling despite the all-time price high.

— Get your sharpest offer in: The L.A. home that served as the façade for the protagonist’s house in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” has come to market for $3.25 million and offers are due by midnight on Halloween.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

NBA star and new Laker Russell Westbrook recently told The Times a championship ring was “great, but what you do with this platform to help impact other people is way more important than your ring.”

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

SPORTS

— The Dodgers are one loss away from their World Series title defense ending after losing 9-2 to the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers trail the best-of-seven playoff series 3-1 heading into Game 5 tonight.

— The NFL agreed to end race-based adjustments in dementia testing that critics said made it difficult for Black retirees to qualify for awards in the $1-billion settlement of concussion claims, according to a proposed deal filed in federal court. The action follows public outrage over the use of “race-norming,” which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function.

— Framber Valdez became the first pitcher in the 2021 postseason to finish eight innings as the Houston Astros beat Boston 9-1 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series and moved one win from a second-straight trip to the World Series.

— Jared Goff, who returns to SoFi Stadium with Detroit on Sunday, said he appreciated Rams coach Sean McVay saying he could have better handled the lead-up to the trade that sent Goff to the Lions. But “the sourness is still there.”

OPINION

— Ride-sharing services were supposed to make things better, writes columnist Robin Abcarian. If you can’t save money, time or the planet with Uber and Lyft, what’s the point?

— “Forever chemicals” are around us and in us: in cosmetics, cookware, firefighting foam, the food supply, soil, air, water and in the blood of nearly everyone tested by the CDC in the last two decades. So the Biden strategy to rein in PFAS is essential.

ONLY IN L.A.

At a recent party in L.A. where some of the guests were visitors from New York, one person asked a friend to check her phone for her, saying, “I can’t take my gloves off, because of my outfit.” Another in the circle said, “Oh, my God, that’s the most L.A. thing I’ve ever heard.”

That anecdote is cited by audience engagement editor Rachel Schnalzer in the latest in a series addressing readers’ questions about L.A. and California. The reader asked: How do tourists perceive Angelenos? Tourists seem to arrive with some very specific ideas about the lifestyle, careers and personalities of residents. But those who live here know there’s no such thing as a typical Angeleno.

A tourist poses for a photo next to a wax figure of Sylvester Stallone while visiting Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard in August.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s newsletter was curated by Amy Hubbard and Laura Blasey. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].